The Marble Competition
by silverspark7x
Summary: What if every angel and human had a counterpart that could be a fem version or 2p version? And what if two groups of angels were forced to compete in the school talent show? Fortunately, they have magic and human counterparts to help them out! AU, human names used. No pairings but lots of friendship fluff! T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi! Welcome to my first fanfiction :D Please note that Kiku Honda is Japan, Alice Kirkland is !Fem England, Alfred F. Jones is America, Matthew Williams is Canada, and Arthur Kirkland is England.**

* * *

~Kiku Honda~

Kiku Honda slowly opened his eyes to a dull morning. He groaned, turned over, preparing to go back to sleep, but-

"Get up, you lazy twat!"

"Alice...?" Kiku replied blearily. "What... it's five in the morning."

She sniffed, straightening her flannel pajamas. "Actually, it's 5:43. Did you forget we have to go to school?"

Kiku shook his head. As an angel, this was his first time visiting Earth and he found the culture quite difficult to get used to. And the romanticism about angels and heaven was borderline ridiculous, just because some humans years ago had seen some angels who had slightly abnormal powers. Honestly!

His world was organized differently, certainly, but they had no control whatsoever over the human word, even if they were linked to it. Every time a human was born, for whatever reason, an angel was born who looked exactly the angel's counterpart was known as a 2p if their personality was different or a !fem if they were of opposite gender.

"Even so, is it really necessary to get up this early? School doesn't start until 7:30."

Alice gave another huff. "I thought you liked waking up early."

Kiku yawned. "No. Plus I don't have to spend thirty minutes on my hair."

"S-shut up!" Alice's cheeks flamed red. "I just want to make a good first impression, is all. You should care more about the human's opinions of you."

"Of course I care." Kiku protested, feeling as if he were speaking to a brick wall.

Alice could be quite stubborn._ And_, he thought, feeling a twinge of guilt, _she was correct_. The school they attended in their own world offered a selection of educational field trips, and Kiku had wanted to visit Earth out of pure curiosity. Alice hadn't really cared where she went, and so she decided to tag along as his school partner, since they were friends anyway. Quite a few other angels would be attending the school alongside them.

Their teacher had sent them to a high school in a suburban American town, with the instructions to "fit in as well as possible, and be prepared to write an essay on your return." He didn't want to fail school since he became a social... what was that expression again? Ah, yes, social pariah.

"It's just," Kiku continued. "I don't need such a long time to get ready. Thank you for waking me up, though. I'm sorry if I seemed ungrateful."

Alice shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Satisfied, Kiku said he would see her later and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Alice!" Kiku exclaimed, not really sure how else to express his annoyance.

He was trying to eat a piece of toast (far too dry for his taste) while buttoning his jacket and while walking. Alice... she had...

"What?" she replied, the picture of innocence. "You said you didn't need much time to get ready."

"I need more than ten minutes!" he said, swallowing his last mouthful of toast. He was revising his opinion of Alice being a tsundere. Evil was more accurate!

She laughed. "I'm sorry." Kiku gave her an incredulous stare.

"No, I'm being serious. I lost track of time and such, so I forgot to wake you up again." Alice continued.

Kiku blushed, noticing a gaggle of girls staring at him with wide eyes. _T-this is embarrassing!_ he thought. He was in no way composed, and definitely not ready to face the school day.

"Oh hey! New guy!" Kiku nearly fell over from the loud voice that sounded in his ear.

"H-hi." He replied, trying to subtly tug on his sleeve, which was halfway up his arm. "I'm Kiku honda. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Alfred!" The guy flashed a smile, which Kiku was nearly blinded by. Those teeth...! "Captain of the baseball team, star student, and also-"

"Please," a quiet voice floated out. "Stop boring poor innocent victims to death." A figure stepped out from behind Alfred, almost being blotted out by his huge aura. "I'm Matthew Williams."

"Nice to meet you." Alice said, giving Matthew a brisk handshake.

Alfred seemed to notice her for the first time. "Woah, like, no one gives handshakes anymore!"

"Err-" Alice replied uncertainly.

"That's so awesome! Will you be my friend?"

"...Ummmm..."

"Pweeeeeease? Pretty pretty please?" Alfred's shiny blue eyes suddenly reminded Kiku of those of an overgrown puppy's.

Alfred broke Alice's gaze, and Kiku realized Matthew had said something.

"Oh, right!" Alfred nodded wisely. He glanced at Kiku, who was still flustered. "You should be more prepared for school!"

So people had noticed his frantic, unprepared rush. Kiku felt gloom descending on him.

"Like you're the one to talk." Alice retorted immediately. "We should go."

She grabbed Kiku's arm and dragged him to their homeroom classroom.

"What an idiot!" she fumed.

Kiku hesitated, then said, "Well, he has a nice aura."

Kiku had the ability to judge people's personalities and moods. Angels tended to have higher mental and physical strength than humans, and some angels used this to their advantage to gain special abilities. Not super powers by any means, but things like hearing very well or having an exceptional voice. It was possible for humans to do the same, but it was simply much harder for them since they were, for whatever reason, weaker than angels.

Alice didn't doubt his abilities, as she had some herself. She had more of a 6th sense where she could sense, and even influence, people's feelings and intentions. And also a huge amount of willpower.

"Still, being _nice_ doesn't make up for a total lack of brain cells." Kiku sighed, wondering when she would stop ranting about Alfred.

Fortunately the bell rang just then, and the homeroom teacher stood up from her desk.

"Alright, welcome to your first day of 10th grade. You're all going to be seated in alphabetical order, so sit down where I tell you to, and no talking please..."

Kiku took a deep breath and prepared himself for his first day of high school.

* * *

~Alice Kirkland~

What. The. Bloody. Hell.

"Well? Is there something wrong with my face?" the boy asked, not even having the consideration to disguise his annoyance.

The teacher had introduced him as... Arthur? Yes, Arthur Kirkland.

Alice was tempted to comment upon his mysterious eyebrows, but bit her tongue instead. She was a proper lady, after all.

"No, it's just that we look remarkably similar." She narrowed her eyes at her counterpart, disappointed that he seemed like a sullen idiot.

"And we have the same last name. Quite strange." He replied mildly. Alice could, for whatever reason, picture him drinking tea while he talked.

Which annoyed her to no end. Drinking tea was _her_ trademark.

"Indeed." Alice tried to focus on his mind, to sense his thoughts. But... there was... something stopping her. There was no way her magic was failing her, so that mean that bloody obnoxious boy had managed to set up some kind of barrier.

She grit her teeth, and tried harder to force inside his mind. Arthur met her eyes with a cool gaze and she felt as if they stayed locked in that position for hours, fighting an invisible battle of wills.

_Dang it!_ She turned away, breathing slightly more heavily. Alice could almost see the smug grin on his face. She busied herself with adjusting her wire-framed glasses and plotting revenge. Oh, he would suffer greatly, all right.

No one bested Alice Kirkland and got away with it.

* * *

~Germania~

"Ahahaha! AHAHA!" Rome laughed at the papers spilled out over his desk. "This is going to be very entertaining, indeed...!"

"Would you please," Germania asked, his voice clipped, "explain what you keep blathering on about?"

"Tsk, I can do no such thing~" Rome winked. "I'll give you a hint though! It's-"

"-About the group of students you sent to Earth." Germania finished, exasperated. "I still don't get why you sent them all to the same high school. With so many counterparts, no less."

Rome lazily waved his hand. "All in due time, my dear friend. All in due time."

Germania narrowed his eyes, making his gaze as icy as possible. Rome only laughed again.

"Well~ before I was concerned that they would go on their trip not knowing what to do with themselves, you know? They could go out of their minds with boredom!"

"I very much doubt that. Earth is very interesting." Germania sighed. "Nonetheless, please continue."

"I'm going to let them team up with each other, and face a challenge! The winners will... hmmm.." Rome suddenly brightened. "I know! Get a huge prize!"

"And what would this... challenge be?"

"Maybe they would have to set up their own fundraisers and- I mean, nevermind! I'm not saying, haha~~"

Germania simply shook his head, feeling the utmost sympathy for the students of this insane man. Why anyone would let him be a teacher was quite a mystery.

Germania decided that spending time with Rome was hazardous to his health, and went to get a beer.

* * *

**Author's Note: I couldn't find any human names for Rome and Germania... :'( I'll probably do a character guide later on, with what characters are angels and who their counterparts are, along with their human names.**

**Anyway, please review! I have a rough idea for the plot, pairings, and characters, but I would be glad to listen to any requests. I love being challenged :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: In case anyone was wondering, the school district that the angels come from give them fake IDs and documents when they come to Earth. They're passable for real unless closely inspected by the police. **

**Switzerland is an angel, but his human counterpart will not be mentioned at all since I couldn't think of how to include a fem or 2p Switzerland. This also applies to several other characters.** **Sorry about the long AN!**

* * *

~Ivan~

"This is interesting, da?" Ivan asked Allan, who gave him a crooked smile in return.

"You can say that again." Allan nodded at the piece of paper in Ivan's hand.

The office had called them down and told them their 'guardian', who was really their teacher Ancient Rome, had told them to read it at lunchtime. It read:

_Dear Angels,_

_I hope you are enjoying your time on Earth! I have decided that, to involve you in the culture on Earth, the angels will be split into teams and will have to perform in the school talent show! Oh, if you do badly, you'll fail my class. Do try your best~_

_Team 1_

Kiku Honda_ (Japan)_

Alice Kirkland_ (Fem England)_

Feliciano Vargas_ (North Italy)_

Marguerite Williams_ (Fem Canada)_

Francis Bonnefoy_ (France)_

_Team 2_

Ivan Branginski_ (Russia)_

Allan Jones_ (2p America)_

Vash Zwingli_ (Switzerland)_

Roderich Edelstein_ (Austria)_

Jian Li_ (2p China)_

_You can also get help from humans if you want! Good luck now!_

_~Your Teacher, Rome_

Ivan had called over the rest of the members in his team to sit at the same lunch table, so they could have a meeting and plan.

Roderich, apparently, had already put some thought in the matter. "Honestly, he didn't even tell us what we were supposed to do for a performance."

"It's better than him assigning us something stupid." Vash replied.

"Aiye." Jian narrowed his eyes. "I vote for having a swordfight."

"As much fun as it would be to kill each other onstage," Ivan began, "I somehow doubt the school would allow it."

Allan humphed and turned away. There was silence for a few moments, until Ivan smiled and exclaimed, "Why don't we have a magic show?"

Jian sighed. "I guess we could do worse."

"Wait," Vash cut in, "We shouldn't use our actual powers!"

"For once I agree with Vash. What if the humans realized who we were?" Roderich shivered slightly, imagining the wrath of his teacher.

Allan ignored him and said, "So that's settled. Besides, it'll be a cinch with our abilities."

* * *

~Kiku Honda~

Kiku, similarly, had gathered his team at a lunch table. He glanced around at his classmates, all of whom he knew, except for one.

"I read the letter, and though the be-"

"Excuse me, but who the heck are you?" Alice cut in.

"He's my friend, Ludwig! Ve~ he already knows we're angels!"

Kiku nodded. He knew Feliciano had been living on Earth for the past year to study human food, which was much more elaborate than in their world. Feliciano was still a student of Rome's, so it only made sense he would be forced to participate in this stupid assignment. Kiku supposed Feliciano had met Ludwig a while ago and trusted him enough to tell him what he was.

"As I was saying," Ludwig continued, "I think the best course of action would be to get help from humans. There are a lot of talented students here who would love to participate in the talent show, and give you an advantage."

"That makes sense." Marguerite, or Meg, said softly. Kiku was about to ask what they should do for the talent show when he felt an ominous, angry aura loom close to them.

"Yo, losers!" Alan laughed. "We're all set for the talent show! And we're gonna totally pown you!"

"I bet you guys don't even know what you're going to do." Jiang smirked.

Kiku could practically see Alice turning red from anger. "Oh yeah? Well, we're... we're... going to perform as a band!"

There was an audible gasp from Kiku's team, excluding Feliciano, who wasn't paying attention.

Roderich gave them dismissive glance. "Obviously, that's a horrible idea. You don't have enough people who know how to play instruments, and you have no idea what quality music is."

Alice looked as if she was going to argue, but closed her mouth when she realized the truth in Roderich's words.

"You guys are hopeless." Jian smiled evilly, then addressed his teammates. "These idiots aren't even worth our time!"

"Agreed~" Ivan said, and then started walking away. The rest of his team followed, laughing.

"Looks like we're starting a band." Ludwig glared at Alice, as if to criticize her for coming up with such a stupid idea. "Does anyone here play an instrument?"

Kiku spoke up. "Both Meg and I play the piano. Alice plays the guitar, and if I'm remembering correctly, Feliciano can play the harmonica."

Ludwig sighed. "We're going to need a heck lot of help to win this talent show."

* * *

~Alice Kirkland~

Alice grimaced, feeling hatred towards the whole world and herself.

But mostly herself.

It was her brash pride that caused her to offer to start a band, and now she had to suffer for it.

Ludwig had told her that they would need a bassist in the band, and a drummer. The only bassist he knew was Arthur, and Kiku said she should be the one to ask for his help. After all, Arthur was her counterpart, so they should get along. _Right._

"So, um, Arthur." Alice said, coming to stand in front of his lunch table. It was filled with a bunch of quiet people reading.

"Hmm? What?" Arthur asked, looking up from his book.

"I heard you were a bassist." _Dang it, this was bloody embarrassing!_ "And I was wondering if you would like to participate in the talent show with my friends and me."

"No thanks."

"Why the heck not?!" Alice burst out "Starting a band was a stupid idea, but now we're stuck with it. It's not like you have anything better to do anyway!"

Arthur seemed stunned at her display of frustration. "Well, I guess I might as well if it's that important." He cleared his throat. "You should be grateful I'm such a gentleman!"

Alice was quiet for a moment. "Thanks...I guess..."

Arthur's cheeks colored slightly. "You're welcome. Now let me eat my lunch in peace."

* * *

~Ludwig Beilschmidt~

"I'm sorry to ask this of you," Ludwig said to Alfred, "But would you be willing to help us perform in our talent show? We're in need of a drummer."

Alfred chewed through the rest of his hamburger at top speed before replying. "Sure! Sounds interesting!"

"Thank you," Kiku said, sounding relieved.

Ludwig, Kiku, and Feliciano were about to walk away before Alfred called them back.

"Oh, Matthew says he'll help to!"

"Really~?" Feliciano asked. "Does he play an instrument?"

Matthew shook his head. "No, but my friend used to be in a band. I should be able to help out a bit with the planning and such."

"That's great." Ludwig smiled. "Welcome to the team."

* * *

**Author's Note: In the next chapter there's going to be 2p Japan and 2p Italy! I'm really excited to write about them, lol.**

**Once again, please review! It would be really helpful! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Forgot to mention this before, but... I don't own Hetalia. On another note, I had a ton of fun writing this chapter. Muwahahahaha!**

**Luciano is 2p Italy and Kuro is 2p Japan.**

* * *

~Allan~

"What?!" Allan slammed his hand on the secretary's desk. He and Ivan had come to register their magic show for the talent show, since the rest of their group hadn't felt like coming along. Allan grit his teeth, annoyed at how the secretary was complicating everything.

"I-I'm sorry," she replied, suddenly very pale. "But you can't perform a magic show since someone else already is."

"Is there really nothing we can do?" Ivan asked, his pale eyes seeming to darken. "It would be _such_ a pity if we couldn't perform."

She gulped, seeming to have sensed the veiled threat. "W-well, maybe you could combine your act w-with the other group's." she rummaged through her papers, then held up a sheet of paper with two photographs. One was of a Japanese boy, captioned Kuro Honda, and the other was of an Italian boy, captioned Luciano Varagas. It was plain to see they were Kiku and Feliciano's alternates.

"Let's go." Allan spat, and stalked out of the room without a second glance. This was such a bother!

Ivan talked to the secretary for a few more moments, then trailed after Allan. "She said they should have their club right now, in room 302."

Allan grunted in recognition, then veered sharply to the left. It was only a few minutes later that Allan burst into the classroom.

"May I help you?" Kuro asked in a quiet, lilting voice that spoke of tranquility and class. His eyes seemed indifferent, but Allan recognized a gleam of cruelty underneath. Allan would know. Ivan had very similar eyes, after all.

"Yeah, we're kinda busy." A voice drawled with lazy confidence. It came from Luciano, who didn't even bother to look up from the deck of cards he was springing between his palms. His dashing good looks and bad boy attitude labeled him as a hearbreaker.

Allan was about to demand that they drop out of the talent show, but Ivan smoothly interrupted, almost as if he had sensed Allan's intentions.

"Let us join your magic group for the talent show, da?"

Kuro narrowed his eyes. "We've already planned our act."

"So, _sorry, _but no." Luciano added with a cocky grin.

Ivan grabbed his upper arm, tightening his hold when Luciano tried to snake his arm away.

"It would be in our best interest to work together." Ivan stated with a childlike smile. Luciano gasped as ice from Ivan't touch crackled across his sleeve, forming in delicate criss-cross patterns. As soon as it had appeared, it dissipated, only leaving behind an intense feeling of cold.

"Da?" Ivan tilted his head to the side, still wearing a doll-like smile.

Luciano glanced at Kuro, who gave a brisk nod. Luciano, the paleness of shock already gone from his face, turned to face Allan.

"We're in."

* * *

~Arthur~

"Alright, that's enough." Ludwig yelled.

Arthur gave a long, slow sigh. The group had been practicing their music, but with so many members, they were failing miserably. It was a pity since they certainly had the skills to succeed, but that didn't change the fact that they sounded_ terrible_ together. Kiku's piano was soft and elegant, Alfred's drums were overpowering and harsh, his bass playing was punky and rough...

Even so, there were more pressing matters weighing on Arthur's mind. Arthur was a strong believer in magic,and he had trained himself to recognize paranormal activity. The aura of magic around Alice and her friends was thick enough to cut with a knife, and he was certain he felt her using magic to pry into his mind. Not to mention the strange way Alice's shirt bulged, almost as if she was hiding wings... Arthur mindlessly twirled a white feather through his fingers.

"Hey, Alice!" he called out.

"What?" she replied, scowling. Her eyes widened when she saw the feather, and her face lost all of it's former color.

Arthur grinned. _Checkmate._

"I know what you are." he leaned close to Alice. "And I have a few... _questions _I would like to ask you."

She scowled again, more angrily than before. She hesitated for a few moments, then said, "Fine. Meet me after school."

* * *

~Kiku~

"Is this really all right?" Kiku asked, shifting awkwardly. Alfred had brought him to the mall after school, and Kiku felt guilty for causing him trouble.

"Hmm?" Alfred looked up from the hamburger he was eating. "Oh yeah! You're foreign, right? So it's my duty to help you choose some cool clothes!"

Kiku sighed, hoping that this trip would help him 'fit in' for his assignment on Earth. Though he was grateful to Alfred for spending time with him, he wasn't really a social person and would rather be alone unless human interaction was absolutely necessary.

"See?" Alfred said cheerily, and Kiku flew backwards a few inches. He realized Alfred had shoved a pair of sunglasses on his face. "These totally suit you!" Alfred gushed.

Kiku looked into the mirror Alfred was holding up, and noted that he looked like a giant fly.

"Um, I'm not really sure these... are my style." Kiku finished lamely, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

Alfred shrugged. "Suit yourself." His expression suddenly lit up, and he dragged Kiku towards another store. "Let's check out some hats next!"

Kiku sighed, tripping over his feet to keep up. _Why did I agree to this in the first place?_

* * *

~Roderich~

"...And stay on that side of the room!" Vash reproached.

Roderich sighed. The school had paid for two student dorms for his whole team, which wouldn't have been a problem. The_ problem_ was that he was forced to have a roommate. Somehow all the other members had spit into pairs, and Roderich and Vash were the only two left.

Roderich prided himself on being a gentleman and managed (or so he thought) to get along well with almost anybody, but there were some people he simply couldn't stand.

And one of those people was Vash Zwingli.

They had been friends, a long time ago, and Roderich shuddered to think about how much of his time he had wasted in Vash's company. There had always been some friendly competition between them, but that had escalated into fierce rivalry about... well, Roderich wasn't sure exactly when they started hating each other. It didn't matter much anyway.

"It would be my pleasure." he replied sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play the piano."

Vash humphed, and turned away with a quiet "Suit yourself."

Roderich felt his annoyance rising at the whole situation, and walked as quickly as he could without loosing his composure. Fortunately the school was near the dorms and he arrived in a matter of minutes. He had made a mental note of where the music room was after visiting it for music class, and didn't hesitate while navigating the halls before stopping in front of its blue doors.

Roderich turned the knob of the door and lightly stepped inside. He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the peaceful stillness of the room, and opened them feeling much more calm. He sat in front of the piano and ran his fingers over the smooth, white keys before letting his fingers fly and play a melody he knew by heart. Roderich ended the piece with a single, lingering note.

Roderich heard clapping, and turned around in surprise. He spotted Feliciano Vargas standing not to far from him. The Italian wore ditsy smile and said, "Ve~ That was wonderful!"

"So you like Choplin?" Roderich asked in a way that was more of a statement than question.

Felicano tilted his head in confusion. "Choplin? What's that?"

Roderich scoffed. "The composer of the piece I was playing." _Obviously._

"I dunno~ I like what you just played though! It was pretty~"

"Thanks." Roderich said absentmindedly. He was wondering if he should play a different piece that was difficult, and risk embarrassing himself, or if he should just stick to something boring and simple. He wished the Italian would just leave. Roderich didn't mind performing for an audience, but wasn't in the mood tonight.

"Are you going to play something else? Ve~ that would be nice~"

Roderich was surprised such a seemingly airheaded individual could enjoy classical music. Maybe there was more to Feliciano Vargas than he had at first assumed.

"I supposed so."

* * *

~Luciano~

"I'm telling you, something about Alfred and Ivan is really strange." Luciano grouched, filing his nails. The file was the closest thing to a knife he could bring on school property without getting expelled, and he always fiddled with it when annoyed.

"Shh!" Kuro scolded, lowering his voice to a barely audible volume. "That's obvious enough. The question is what our next course of action should be."

Luciano nodded. "That thing with the ice wasn't your run of the mill, cheap magic illusion." he thoughtfully tapped the file against his chin. "If we knew magic like that, we would be unstoppable."

"I think," Kuro began, then paused, as if thinking deeply. "It would be best to ask for Leonardo's assistance."

Luciano blinked in shock for a few seconds. "You're serious?"

Kuro gave one of his signature nods.

"That's a risky idea." Luciano gave a wide grin, the kind that young children saw in their nightmares. "Let's do it."


End file.
